A Jump Start for AutoZone

I think that when you go to a website for car parts, you aren’t really going for the browsing experience, now are you? My expectations from such websites are very high. I expect to be able to find what I am looking for without having to click through too many pages because I am visiting for a specific reason.

Now that that is established… I go onto Auto Zone’s website in search of a new battery for my car. First of all, the homepage has no products at all, only a mass of offers and coupons and what not. Ok, fine… I click on ‘Replacement Parts’ and then ‘Batteries’

I expect to see some batteries right away. This isn’t a fun shopping experience for me and I want to get right to the point. This is the next page that comes up.. NO BATTERIES?! Just two of the same filters… WHY? It makes more sense to have all the battery products and then have filters on the side. I clicked on batteries, and this means that I came here for a purpose! Notice the prominent display of “Other Customers Also Viewed…”I am not interested in your shaping and bumping hammer, at least not until I find my batteries. If I ever. Navigating this page is so tiresome.

I notice ‘Select A Vehicle’ in a meek orange font and I figure out that it is the main point of this landing page. If so why wouldn’t Auto Zone use a bolder font? I am all for personalized shopping but you must go all out! Presenting it to me in such a tiny font will draw my attention elsewhere for example, your live chat or your hammers and that’s not what I want. I came in to buy some batteries.

As a solution, make sure that ‘Select A Vehicle’ stands out. Also put some batteries on the category page and then have the filters on the side so we can sift through the products.

Anyway, in the end I put in all my information and after a series of clicks I finally find the battery parts I am looking for. While I appreciate Auto Zone’s attempt at creating a personal shopping experience, let’s streamline the whole process! Simple as some changes to font size and thought out placement of merchandising.

Edited to add: Love to hear back from companies! It shows that they actually care.